28th Magic Marine Easter Regatta - Coldest Easter since 1964

The Netherlands’ coldest Easter since 1964 dawned upon 209 competitors from 12 nationalities to race Optimists in the Magic Marine Easter Regatta. The famous Braassem Race Committee had to think smart and quick in order to continue to keep up with the prestige of the last 28 years. The event finished with a total of 8 great races with a mandatory 'return to shore' flag to warm the sailors between all races. Winning the 2013 Easter egg is Stijn Paardekooper from the Netherlands; followed by Olin Houtman (NED) and Scott Meijntjes (NED) in second and third.

The week prior to the event consisted of winds over 40 knots. The breeze blew through leaving still conditions and full ice in the harbour, which left no chance to race on day one. Day two brought sunshine and a building weather pattern and delivered beautiful racing.

The final day consisted of two races in strong breeze with the split fleets of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze races. Stijn Paardekooper continued with his commanding lead with Olin Houtman, the American Ryan Hennessey and Oscar Engstrom tied going into the finals.

In the end, it’s the Dutch sailor Stijn Paardekooper with the title. 'I won!' yelled Stijn in Dutch after crossing the line. 'Many sailors called the shifts random but I found it cool.'

Easter weekend of April 20, 21 for 2014 and the call for warm temperatures with shorts is in the planning. As Michael Burns from the USA team quoted, 'If I didn’t have to come early to put on my hundred layers of clothing then I would say that this is the best event. We loved Holland.'